Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Some changes

Over the past three months, Nonjatta has been quietly changing toward a more team-based model. The site has established itself as the main independent English language source about Japanese whisky on the web since I set it up in 2008. That has been due to the efforts of a large group of contributors, including some leading whisky writers and the top experts on Japanese whisky. However, the management of Nonjatta has essentially been an amateurish one-man show by yours truly. I can't have done that badly because there were about 150,000 unique visitors to the site over the period, but there comes a time when a site has to grow up.

Last month, we moved to a much more formal model for editing the site. While I will continue to contribute to and still own the site. We also have a management committee for oversight. Stefan of Tokyo Whisky Hub and Ruben of Whiskynotes will be playing key roles on the writing side. The former is our man on the ground, finger-on-the-pulse as it were, while the latter will be supplying Nonjatta with in-depth tasting notes whilst keeping an eye on the reception of Japanese whiskies on the European front (releases for the European market, etc.). I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to other potential contributors to get in touch. I also need to say a sincere thank you to Dramtastic, who is moving on to no doubt better things. He has made an amazing contribution to Nonjatta and he will be greatly missed. His reviews will still be available and he will always be welcome back.

Things have been very difficult for my family since last April, requiring us to move halfway across the world for the medical treatment for our son, but I hope the new, more cooperative structure will allow Nonjatta to prosper and keep up with the rapidly changing demands of online readers while I try to deal with these personal battles.

Whisky Bars Kyoto

A few Links

Introduction

This site is probably the most comprehensive source on the Japanese whisky scene in English. It is also independent. No one who writes for Nonjatta is employed or paid by Japanese distillers and/or retailers.